December 29, 2014

HEY!! Christmas was really good here we spent a lot of time with members because most of our investigators were in Mexico or Texas. But it was still a good Christmas. It didn't snow until the day after Christmas so it was at least kind of nice to get a little bit! It has gotten pretty cold here now but not too bad! I was able to go out to the Reservation for the first time since I have been here. It was a little bit different from the city but not too much. Lately when I have been meeting Navajos they are really drunk. The only Navajos I have met were drunk so it has made some pretty funny experiences. The first time we met 2 of them in McDonalds and they asked us to preach for them but only if we gave them some money. We told them we could not and then one of them got all mad and was swearing at us. While the other one was talking to me and telling me to pray for him. While he was praying the other one was telling one of the other Elders that he was not liking the way he was looking at him and told him that he had no respect for him. While Elder Delgado, who doesn't like the Navajos, he was telling him how much respect he has for him. He also told Him, " I am so Gangster that even God knew it!" After that we talked just for a little bit longer then we left! After it was pretty funny and this usually happens like 2-3 times a week that we run into them. They are good people but they just struggle sometimes, so it is really tough for them! I am just glad that i am able to teach the Spanish people here instead! I hope your Christmas was good! Love ya and hope the best for you!

-Elder Richards

December 15, 2014

HOLA!  Hey!! How is everything going?? Everything here is going great.  It is starting to get a little colder but it is not too bad. It has rained a few times in the last couple weeks and it has snowed once on Saturday, but only for a few minutes.  On Sunday we woke up to a little bit on our grass but it was gone by the time we left for church. I am pretty sure this is not going to be a white Christmas here at all. Mainly because it doesn't get cold enough and it doesn't rain or snow here much either! On Saturday it was raining really hard and we were walking around in one of the trailer parks. By the time we got back we were soaked. I hope everything is going great! And I hope that your week is great and remember the TRUE meaning of Christmas and make it the most important part of this Christmas season as well as your life!! 
Love ya

-Elder Easton Richards

To answer your questions, yes we are hoping on skyping Christmas morning, but I am not for sure what time we are going to be calling though, sorry. I am going to send my Christmas package for you guys in the next couple of days so just be looking for it around Friday or Saturday. Everything is going great here, The Spanish is coming better and I am being more able to understand and talk. We decided for me to start the lessons so it doesn't get too off subject and I get completely lost. The investigators that we have are doing really good. We have 2 really great investigators and are super excited to see how they are going to do! I am sending a letter with a lot of detail in the package like you asked for!!

December 9, 2014

Hey! To answer you question, my toes are doing better. The infection is going down, and yes i got the packages thank you so much. About that families that you are helping for Christmas, the first family has a girl who is 16 (so i am not for sure what you could do for her) They have an 8 year old boy as well as a 5 and 6 year old girls. The other family has a boy who is 7 and a girl who is 1 1/2- 2 years old.  The other family, she is an only parent and she has 2 boys that are 5 and 6 and 2 girls that are 5 and 14. So really anything is helpful. Tell them thank you so much! 

 Yes I did get grandma's card! I will email her today and tell her thanks.

This week went pretty good.  We doubled our lessons from last week and the HE IS THE GIFT cards we have been handing them out like candy. They are being very helpful and this is like the best time to get in with families because they are always home and it is the perfect time to talk about Christ. We also have 3 new investigators so that was very good! It is also starting to get a little colder now but it is still not too bad.  I am still good without a sweater until the sun goes down then it just gets super cold. 

I was able to watch the videos of Holden and can tell he is looking really good this year! 

Love ya 

- Elder Richards 

December 1, 2014

Not a lot of information to post today, but I did get pictures :).

Hey thank you for the pictures they were really nice!! My toes are doing good right now they are a little sore but healing pretty good. I am pretty sure the worst part was the numbing shot they gave me. The pain from it was so bad!!!! I have a picture so i will send it to you. 

To answer your question about the families that I am teaching, there are three families.  The first one is the Familia Tarango. They have 4 kids, 3 girls and 1 boy, The girls are 15,7, and 5. The boy is 8. The other family has a boy that is 7 and a girl that is 2.   They could all use a little help for Christmas.

I am in the same area and with the same companions as well so everything is the same. I have no idea what to get Barbara for Christmas. Sorry.  

The week was super slow.  There was like no one home. Everyone was either out shopping or asleep from just getting home from work. That is why it is so hard to get in with anyone here because everyone is always busy with work or family so it is difficult.  But everything is going good this week and I will send some more pics too.

Spanish District

A less active family, The Tanrangos, gave them the tree. And we are sleeping in the front room because our bedroom gets way too hot at night.

Other District (?)

Poor Toes :(

November 24, 2014

So to answer the questions, yes I did get Grandma's package sorry, and Becky's as well. Tell them both thank you.  I  haven't checked for yours today yet, but i will. Kinley's bracelet stand for Choose The Right.  About Thanksgiving, we are eating at the Palfreymans and then the Esmiols, so we willl eat twice that day. I haven't really gained any weight yet and I am hoping that i won't!! If it's not a problem, I would like a thinner blanket, that would be really nice! And to answer your question, a  thinner pair of gloves because it doesn't get that cold. I also couldn't see the videos of Holden so if you could do it again that would be great!

About Christmas, the only thing I can think of is an external speaker so I can play USB drives.  If anyone else asks, tell them money because by the end of the month you don't have any for like food so you have to just try and make something haha but that would be great! Also today i spent $45 because a member family need help buying a prescription for her husband that just got out of the hospital. So i was just letting you know about that!

Here's some pics of the house I am living in.  And yes I have cleaned it up a bit.

We've been working with a less active member Brother Turango.  That's been going really good.  Last Saturday we had five meals and went to a sweet 16 birthday part.  It was a lot of fun.  Then on Sunday I gave a talk in Spanish on missionary work.  It went really good.  On Monday we went to see Lupe, she is our new investigator.  She told us about a couple of good things that had happened to her after we stopped by the Sunday before and had tested her faith in God.  But we were glad that she related it to us.  After her kids wanted us to play football with them so we were just playing catch then some more of the neighbor kids came also. It was fun to just let go for 15 minutes.We then saw David, one of our investigators grandson come home so we went to go and teach him but his friend Jesus was there too.  David invited him to come and listed too.  After we were done he asked me to say the prayer.  Then he said that he would say one, then Jesus said one, then our investigator Mary said she didn't want to be left out so we had a five prayer lesson.  It went really good.

Later on we did service for the Myers family.  We put up a patio overhang.  That took about 3-4 hours and the last hour we were fighting the rain. Then we heard this noise coming down the road and it was getting closer.  So we started to run inside and the hail was coming down pretty hard.  

On Saturday morning we went for breakfast at the Palfreyman's and it was pretty good.  After I went with Elder Rubio and Elder Cook.  They were on exchanges for the day and since Elder Cook doesn't know any Spanish, Elder Rubio asked me to come along with them.  I didn't know that he was going to make me teach 4 lessons while I was with them but it went better than I thought.  The last one we taught was a Jehovah's witness and she basically was teaching Elder Rubio so that was a little funny.  But we got fed every night so that is good.  I hope everything is going well in Fielding and with wrestling, dance and work.  Keep me updated.  Love you guys and hope you have the best week.

(Group email)

Hey!! Everything is going great here, it was just a little slower than usual because no one was answering their doors so that kind of sucked!! On the bright side I have given two blessings this week so that was really cool!( both were in English though but still good!) We had a Branch party on Saturday and ate a lot of food and played kickball with the little kids until it got pretty dark! It has started to get a little colder now but it still is not terrible. It kind of snowed yesterday morning but before it hit the ground it was already melted! The transfer is almost over already!!! It is crazy that I have almost been out 3 months now!! I don't know where that time has gone it is crazy to think that! I will keep you updated on anything else that is going to happen this week so we will see!! Any ways love you guys and I hope that all is going well and have the best week!!

-Elder Easton Richards

November 10, 2014

My companions are Elder Castro and Elder Gonzalez.  Elder Castro is from Albuquerque and Elder Gonzalez is from Texas! They both have been out about a year! Yes i can have music and just about anything.  I have bought a few cds but not much and just really any music.  It would be nice to not get as much junk food because everyone here in Farmington (Spanish elders) gain a lot of weight so that would be nice haha!   


Everything this last week went super good!! I had my first baptism and it was the coolest thing!! So this week we taught this lady her name is Lupe and she has never talked to missionaries before so she let us in her house and we were talking about the love of God and Christ. Her testimony of it was indescribable. It was really cool! She basically opened up to us and just let it all out and she said how grateful she was to meet us and we rescheduled for today so it should go really good! We ran into her on Saturday and she told us after we had left something really good happened but she wanted to tell us tonight so we are excited! It is starting to get a little colder here but it is still in the 60's so that is way nice! The color on the trees is basically gone so that kind of sucks now but all in all it is just fantastic here! I gave my first talk in Spanish in our sacrament meeting! It was a little nerve racking but it wasn't too bad because there are not too many people in our branch (around 50 maybe) but there were less yesterday because one of the girls had her sweet 16 party and everyone in the branch was basically at it so the people that were there were a little tired ha but the branch is awesome and I love everyone in it! We had one of our investigators come to church for her second time in a row and she absolutely loves it! We also had a couple of less active families show up too so we had a pretty successful week! I love all you guys so much and hope you have the best week!

November 3, 2014

Just a short email today.  Elder Richards said that he's sending a letter to answer all of the questions that I had :).

Hey don't worry.  I'll be sending you a letter this week.  I was so busy last week it was just really hard to send more than one letter, but I will get one to you this week.  I don't have any pics really yet but next week I will send some. 

I am living in a home with one other companionship so it is pretty fun!

About the weather, it is cold in the mornings but by 11:00 ish it is usually around 70 degrees so that is really nice.  It rained yesterday for a while but that is all that has happened weather wise! For Halloween we played Risk because we had to be in by 6:00 p.m.

Thank you for the money.  I will get my backpack today.

I was tagged in this cute picture from a lady in Farmington saying that the Elders did a service project for them after they were fed breakfast on Saturday.  She said they love Elder Richards and call him the "token white boy" with all the Hispanic Elders.